1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a processing machine system capable of removing chips produced from machining, and more particularly to a processing machine system including a robot that removes the chips deposited in the processing machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a processing machine such as a lathe or a machining center processes a work, chips are produced from the processing and hence the chips have to be discharged out of the processing machine. This is because deposition of the chips on the work or a fixing jig results in problems such as degradation in processing accuracy and breakdown of a machining tool. When dry processing or semi dry processing is performed, in particular, the chips are unable to be transported with a coolant out of the machine, and therefore a large amount of chips are prone to be accumulated inside the processing machine.
To avoid the above-mentioned problem some measures have to be taken, for example periodically stopping the processing machine and removing the chips in the processing machine. However, such a remedy not only leads to lowered production efficiency, but also impedes execution of automated production.
When wet processing which employs a coolant is performed, the coolant has to be made to flow over the region where the chips are produced so as to transport the chips out of the machine, and then the chips have to be separated from the coolant, for example using a chip conveyor. Moreover, since the chips are scattered over a large area during the processing, a large volume of coolant has to be supplied to the chip producing locations without omission. However, when the amount of coolant is insufficient or when the coolant is supplied to a wrong location, the chips may be deposited on the fixing jig that holds the work or other locations. When the wet processing is performed also, therefore, the operator has to periodically remove the chips inside the processing machine.
Therefore, a processing machine that enables the chips in the processing machine to be periodically removed without depending on human power is being sought for. Thus, processing machines configured to remove the chips produced therein are proposed, for example, in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-231008, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2010-105065, and Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2001-322049.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-231008 discloses a dry processing machine including a cut chip pressing apparatus that compresses chips discharged from a machining section into a lump, to thereby discharge the chips in the form of the lump.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2010-105065 discloses an NC lathe including a mechanism and a cover that facilitate collection of chips.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2001-322049 discloses a chip cleaning apparatus including a cleaning robot disposed inside a processing machine during dry processing, the cleaning robot including a suction nozzle that sucks the chips during the processing.
However, with the dry processing machine according to Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-231008, a special chip pressing apparatus has to be added to the processing machine. In addition, the chips scattered to a region outside a specific area are unable to be compressed with the cut chip pressing apparatus. Accordingly, to remove such chips the operator has to stop the processing machine and transport the chips out of the machine. Thus, the dry processing machine according to Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-231008 is still unable to improve the production efficiency or realize automated production.
Although the NC lathe according to Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2010-105065 includes the cover to facilitate the operator to collect the chips, an apparatus for transporting the chips out of the machine is not provided. Therefore, the NC lathe is unable to improve the production efficiency or realize automated production, either.
In the chip cleaning apparatus according to Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2001-322049, the suction nozzle is located close to a machining tool, to suck the chips at the same time that the processing is performed. However, the suction nozzle generates the suction force unidirectionally, and hence it is difficult to such all the chips scattered over a broad area from the tip of the machining tool. Accordingly, when the chips are sucked at the same time as the processing, the chips may remain on the fixing jig that holds the work and the periphery of the fixing jig. In this case, the operator has to stop the processing machine and remove the chips.
Further, since the chips are sucked at the same time as the processing in the chip cleaning apparatus according to Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2001-322049, the cleaning robot has to be controlled in a complicated manner so as to avoid interference between the suction nozzle and the machining tool. In addition, there may be locations unable to be cleaned at the same time as the processing. In other words, when the chips are sucked at the same time as the processing, some locations may be left uncleaned and an additional time may be required for the cleaning, which leads to degradation in production efficiency.